I LOVE Christmas eve, seriously possibly more than Christmas day itself. Growing up Christmas eve was always the bigger day. It was the day when all of my family got together, had a huge meal, open gifts, and went to the eleven o'clock candlelight service. When we were really little we even went to church in our new Christmas pjs. It was glorious. To make the candlelight service even better (as if it wasn't already epic enough) we often fell asleep on Grandma or Grandpa and at the end of worship during the silent night one of us grand-kids always got to go outside with Grandpa to ring the bell. I am not sure why the tradition there is to ring the bell at the end of worship but it was and if you got to help Grandpa ring the bell it was even better.
Now that I am a pastor Christmas eve is a little different and I love it for different reasons. I love it because I get the opportunity to worship with sooooooo many people and many people we haven't seen since Easter. I love it because it is festive and we get to sing all the wonderful Christmas songs. I love Christmas eve because it is filled with such hope and anticipation.
My traditions for Christmas eve have obviously had to change, I no longer can be home in South Dakota for Christmas eve as I need to be here leading worship. My parents, brother, and his girlfriend as well as my fiance are all around this year and I believe my mom is cooking dinner to be ready for me to grab between services three and four and Christmas day is becoming a bigger deal. This year we are traveling down to Minneapolis (a couple hour drive) to meet up with my uncle and cousins for lunch. My guess is tomorrow we won't be up at the crack of dawn (or as my parents would argue before the crack of dawn when we were little), we will sleep in and enjoy a lazy morning. Santa still comes (whoop whoop) and we will exchange presents Christmas morning while chilling in our sweats. We will read the Christmas story and remember the story that claims each and every one of us.
We don't currently have any little kids who will be up crazy early and be nuts, our gifts will not contain tons of assembling (I would guess at least) or batteries that need to be found. For my immediate family we are between generations, my brother (24) is currently the youngest, and trust me he'd be happy to sleep until noon if we didn't have to be in the cities by 1.
I am thankful for God who comes to us as a human, a tiny human baby thousands of years ago. I am thankful for the promise of Jesus' return. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit who continues to meet us each and every day. I am thankful for the light of God that continues to shine in even the darkest of circumstances. I am thankful for family and friends who are willing to travel to spend Christmas with me. I am thankful for my family and friends who will travel to be present at my wedding in June. Thanks be to God for all the ways that God is working and the showering of blessings.
Showing posts with label Christmas Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Day. Show all posts
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Welcome Winter
Dear Winter-
I think you have finally arrived. I think you are here in Northern Minnesota, about time, I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. In my opinion you arrived late this year. I always start to get a bit anxious for you come October. Seriously, it seems only a week or so ago it was great running, biking, and dog walking weather, today we register a solid zero degrees, good work. Oh the changes, not to mention we have a solid foot of snow on the ground with a thin sheet of ice below. Truth be told, I LOVE IT! I love having everything covered in that beautiful white layer of snow that just screams to children (and me) come sledding, the ice is getting thick (anticipating the good ice skating and snow shoeing on the lakes), enjoy the snow, play in me.
You do add a challenge to working out and getting in the appropriate amount of steps. I can do the snow but the ice is the complicating factor. Yes, I know I just go to the ymca and that fixes my problem, however it doesn't help my crazy dog. She needs to be playing outside and when your temperatures drop below zero she doesn't like to stay outside too long nor do I to take her for a walk. Please be kind in terms of ice, it makes it challenging not only for me but also for the older folks who desperately want to get out as well. They like to come to church and go to bingo, be kind to them, their hips can't handle it, a broken bone in their world is quite the tragedy.
If I can put in a request for the beautiful snow globe looking snow on Christmas Eve that would be fabulous. I love coming out from the candle light serve and to see that you are laying down a new fresh sheet of snow. There is something magical about it. It seems all too appropriate that you would lay down a beautiful light layer of snow for Christmas. If you want the particulars I would prefer that you don't give us a full blizzard that day it seems far too many people travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I would hate for them to not be able to get to family. Be kind.
While I am being demanding and putting in my requests, I would love one massive massive blizzard, the kind that makes it impossible for anyone to get anywhere, school is cancelled for the kids, and I get to work from home (or maybe just stay in my pjs or change into sweatpants) and sip on hot chocolate, curl up on the couch and watch a good movie and read some amazing books, all while napping intermittently and crocheting. Thanks for at least hearing my requests, I know you were deeply concerned about my feelings towards you.
Keep bringing down the snow, I really don't mind shoveling, seriously. I generally even shovel a few houses down because I just love being outside in the snow. So bring it on. Let's see how much you can dump this year. You are already on the right track with that last snow fall, I hear you brought half as much this past weekend as you did all of last winter. Props to you.
Don't overstay your welcome, please feel free to start your leaving process about mid-March. I appreciate you, but also welcome your cousin Spring about mid-March early April. Have a wonderful day. I love you being around.
Peace-
Sarah
I think you have finally arrived. I think you are here in Northern Minnesota, about time, I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. In my opinion you arrived late this year. I always start to get a bit anxious for you come October. Seriously, it seems only a week or so ago it was great running, biking, and dog walking weather, today we register a solid zero degrees, good work. Oh the changes, not to mention we have a solid foot of snow on the ground with a thin sheet of ice below. Truth be told, I LOVE IT! I love having everything covered in that beautiful white layer of snow that just screams to children (and me) come sledding, the ice is getting thick (anticipating the good ice skating and snow shoeing on the lakes), enjoy the snow, play in me.
You do add a challenge to working out and getting in the appropriate amount of steps. I can do the snow but the ice is the complicating factor. Yes, I know I just go to the ymca and that fixes my problem, however it doesn't help my crazy dog. She needs to be playing outside and when your temperatures drop below zero she doesn't like to stay outside too long nor do I to take her for a walk. Please be kind in terms of ice, it makes it challenging not only for me but also for the older folks who desperately want to get out as well. They like to come to church and go to bingo, be kind to them, their hips can't handle it, a broken bone in their world is quite the tragedy.
If I can put in a request for the beautiful snow globe looking snow on Christmas Eve that would be fabulous. I love coming out from the candle light serve and to see that you are laying down a new fresh sheet of snow. There is something magical about it. It seems all too appropriate that you would lay down a beautiful light layer of snow for Christmas. If you want the particulars I would prefer that you don't give us a full blizzard that day it seems far too many people travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I would hate for them to not be able to get to family. Be kind.
While I am being demanding and putting in my requests, I would love one massive massive blizzard, the kind that makes it impossible for anyone to get anywhere, school is cancelled for the kids, and I get to work from home (or maybe just stay in my pjs or change into sweatpants) and sip on hot chocolate, curl up on the couch and watch a good movie and read some amazing books, all while napping intermittently and crocheting. Thanks for at least hearing my requests, I know you were deeply concerned about my feelings towards you.
Keep bringing down the snow, I really don't mind shoveling, seriously. I generally even shovel a few houses down because I just love being outside in the snow. So bring it on. Let's see how much you can dump this year. You are already on the right track with that last snow fall, I hear you brought half as much this past weekend as you did all of last winter. Props to you.
Don't overstay your welcome, please feel free to start your leaving process about mid-March. I appreciate you, but also welcome your cousin Spring about mid-March early April. Have a wonderful day. I love you being around.
Peace-
Sarah
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